This morning is the Texas Boy Scouts annual Report To State Parade. Every year during February (the month of Scouting’s birth in the United States), Scouts from all around Texas converge on the state capitol.

For one day, downtown Austin becomes a sea of Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Venturers and Sea Scouts from all over Texas marching down Congress Avenue to the Capitol. From there, special Scout delegates from each council in the state go to the floor of the House of Representatives and report to member of the state government about Scouting activities from the past year, and plans for the future. The Capitol Area Council’s organization and execution of this program has become the standard for other councils across the country. It is a unique opportunity for the Scouts that take part.

I’ve done this numerous times in the past when my older son was a Scout, and now I’m doing it again with my younger son as a Scout. While the morning is long and boring because you do a lot of waiting for your turn to walk, it’s really cool to see Scouts from all around the state, their floats, where they’re from. It’s actually pretty neat. It’s also cool to watch the kids, because now they get to be in a parade, and that’s pretty neat for them. Weather should be nice too. Of course, I am going on about 4 hours of sleep….

Update: Back from the parade. Good turnout. Was a lot of fun. As an unexpected bit of fun, Austin Chief of Police, Art Acevedo happened to be by our float while we were waiting to go. He hopped into the trailer with the boys and had a little fun with my son. Unfortunately I cannot figure out how to get WordPress to embed this video, so you’ll just have to click here in order to see it.